The Perfect Stranger

Last updated on: December 23, 2011 at 5:00 am by Admin GrowMama

The Perfect Stranger 2011-12-23T05:00:20-04:00 Admin GrowMama

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It was a very crowded day at the park. My 2-year-old son was playing happily from one end of the park to the other. As he was climbing a small staircase, he happened to slip and bump his knee. I started to walk towards him to see if he was alright. He was not crying but had just sat down to check for any possible “damage” on his little knee. As I approached him, I saw a young Caucasian non-Muslim girl, no more than five or six years old, run right past him. Then she quickly turned back around and sat down next to him.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked my son. He looked up at her and without any hesitation he responded, “I hurt my knee. See,” he said showing her his knee. “Aw. You poor thing. It’s okay. It looks alright to me,” she said and rubbed his knee gently. Then she smiled at him and helped him get back up. He was up and running again like nothing had ever happened, and he did not even need his mommy to make him feel better. A sincere little stranger did my job for me.

I was so touched by what had just happened. It made me realize how innocent and oblivious children are to all the differences that exist amongst us human beings. Out of the goodness of her heart, that little girl came to my son’s rescue despite his skin color, religion, or gender. She probably did not even notice any of those things. As children get older, they become more aware of people’s differences by the influences of their families, peers, and environment around them. Unfortunately, over time we begin to judge others just by how they look instead of who they really are.

It is easy to consider ourselves as the victims of prejudice and false judgments these days with Islamophobia on the rise. However, there needs to be a more proactive approach we take towards dealing with non-Muslims. Before someone can pass the wrong judgment on us, we need to make sure we have been heard and noticed in a positive light first.

For example, when we go to the grocery store and approach a cashier at the register, we always make proper eye contact and greet him/her by name.

“Hello, Sue. How is your day going?”

If there is no name tag, then just greet the individual nicely and ask how he or she is doing. It is rare that the individual will give you bad service in return to your sincere kindness. This is also a quick and easy form of outreach. A smile goes a long way, and in Islam, the reward is equal to that of giving charity. By recognizing that person as someone who is worth being noticed, we will leave a lasting impression on the heart. Instead of us expecting to be served and addressed with respect, we should take the initiative to pay respect to the cashier, waiter, or bank teller waiting on us. We should also keep good relations with our neighbors and let them know we exist in peace and not in hiding.

The Qur’an states, “Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer and what your right hands possess: For Allah loves not the arrogant, the vain.” (Surah Nisa 4:36)

As Muslims, we should strive to become the perfect strangers. The little girl who helped my son in the park is a great example of who we should be at all times. Remember, for Allah tells us in the Holy Qur’an, “And the servants of the Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace!’” (Surah Furqan 25:63)

Tayyaba Syed

Tayyaba is a freelance journalist from Illinois. She has been featured on NPR and writes for numerous publications. She also speaks about marriage and family. Most importantly, she is blessed to be a mother of two little adventurers and blogs at www.tayyabasyed.blogspot.com.

*”Perfect Stranger’ was first published in MBMuslima Magazine. Permission to reprint was given by author.

Motherhood Reflections

Previous Post

December 21, 2011

GrowMama Roundup: Winter Family Time!

Next Post

December 26, 2011 Where I Want To Be

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book and Movie Reviews Community Connecting with Allah Counselor's Corner Environment fatherhood five stars GrowBaba Spotlight GrowMama Picks Growmama Roundup Health Light Fare marriage Motherhood Reflections moving Parenthood Photography Poems Schooling Self-development tragedy Tutorials Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 November 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Persian king allowed Ezra to take Jewish exiles and gifts to Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Darius Artaxerxes Nebuchadnezzar Cyrus